Jones County alumni celebrate 250th and camaraderie

This weekend Murdo High School and Jones County High School alumni celebrated with an all school reunion themed around America’s 250th celebration. Alumni gathered and had a great time meeting up with old friends and classmates, experiencing joy and loads of fun.

Friday kicked off with registration at the Harold Thune Auditorium. The auditorium was open throughout Friday and Saturday. Tables were set up showcasing high school days across the years. Auction items were also on display for a silent auction to be held during the luncheon on Saturday. 

To beat the summer heat (it reached up to 101º on Friday), Jones County cheerleaders served up specialty lemonades in front of First Fidelity Bank on Friday and Saturday. Free-will donations helped fundraise for JC cheer activities. Sugar Coated was open for visitors during the afternoon as well. The Murdo Coyote had newspapers on display showing classes throughout the years, and offered hot dogs and chips for visitors.

Later in the afternoon, classes met up at various locations. Wayne and Lorrie Esmay held a reunion for classes of the 70s in their back yard. They had a plethora of food made up for the occasion. The class of 2007 met up in the green area next to the Range Country for some outdoor food and drinks. Multiple alumni, including the class of 77, met up at the Buffalo Bar to share memories over drinks.

Saturday morning, Murdo Economic Development held an open house for their last available Governor’s Home on 2nd Street. A parade was held with the theme “A Journey Through Time”. Featured in the parade were 48 horse riders carrying 50 flags of the states, a community band, classic cars, old tractors, motorcycles, and multiple classes, businesses, and ranch families. After the parade, a Show N’ Shine car show was held at the Pioneer Auto Museum and a bounce house was set up for the kids to enjoy.

More classes held meet-ups on Saturday as well. The classes of the 60s and 70s gathered at the ambulance building just before the parade, classes of ‘86 through to ‘96 met at the Geisler’s backyard, the class of ‘76 met on Cindy and Mike Jost’s deck, classes of 2005 through to 2015 had a meet up at the Sugar Coated Cookie Barn, and all classes were invited to Dennis and Julie Moore’s backyard.

A luncheon was held at the auditorium for alumni to enjoy a meal prepared by the Lions Club. Jason Seamans welcomed alumni and presented programs for the luncheon. Patriotic and school spirit songs were sung by Bayden and Kendra Raymond, Renee (Miller) Kortuem, and Jason Seamans. They were accompanied by Rose Comp and Joni Willoughby. A special PowerPoint presentation was prepared by James Anderson, showcasing pictures of some important people in the history of Jones County and beyond. Judy Dykstra-Brown shared her poetry about growing up in Jones County. A special award and thank you was presented to Katherine Patterson for all of her years of work on the alumni board.

Later that evening, a street dance was held in front of the auditorium featuring the band South Pine with local drummer Jesse Tucker. Circle E Drive In provided drinks and the Murdo District Ambulance served up hot dogs and hamburgers. The night held more social time and lots of dancing.

On Sunday morning, the Community Bible Church held a special service and potluck for alumni and visitors. The weekend ended strong with a triathlon organized by Abby Martinez and Sophie Dowling. There were adult and youth participants. Some participants competed as a single contestant while others competed in a team. They had to do laps in the swimming pool, then take a planned bike route to the park, and then do a few laps around the park. Mason Martinez won the youth individual with a time of 14 minutes. Maggie Dowling, Mason Nix, and Addison Rankin won the youth team race with a time of 11 minutes. For adult individuals, Chris Nix placed first with 27 minutes. The winners of the adult team were Kaleb Howe, Alex Glynn, and Parker Reynolds.